Wilfried Zaha talisman thrives under pressure from Patrick Vieira in new Crystal Palace look | Today Headlines

The Eagles boss is prone to a joke at the expense of his star winger in training, but, as far as the day goes, he expects the best from Palace talisman.

Zaha has been relieved of some of the defensive duties given to him by former boss Roy Hodgson as Vieira seeks to make the most of his offensive talent.

The 29-year-old has scored four goals and one assist in 11 Premier League games so far this season and relishes the challenges posed by Arsenal legend Vieira – whom Zaha idolized as a Gunners fan of his childhood .

“There are so many things you can take from him,” Zaha said.

“It’s different when you’ve seen them play because you accept more of what they say because it’s like they understand the game, they already have.

“I can learn so much from him.

“[Our relationship] is very good actually. He is very cold, likes jokes and tries to harass me a lot.

“Our relationship is good, very good off the pitch and I know he’s very demanding of me on the pitch, so I’m trying to do my best.

“Am I improving? Yes, because I feel the pressure to do more and to do better because he expects more of me.

“I feel like I perform better under pressure because if I’m just easy then things start to get a bit pear shaped because I don’t put that pressure on myself and every day it demands more and more. more of me.

“Sometimes it’s boring, but he wants the best for me, so I try to do my best.”

The Eagles are unbeaten in their last seven games under Vieira ahead of Aston Villa’s visit this weekend, under new manager Steven Gerrard who won a 2-0 victory over Brighton in his first game in charge.